venerdì 24 luglio 2009

Mick Jagger, born Jul, 26th 1943

He's the best pop performer Britain's ever had. He made the group, really. Without Mick, the Stones would have been nothing - Brian Jones, 1966The thing is that the guy's GOOD, man (laughs). He can sing his ass off - Keith Richards, 1985He IS totally different in public than he is in private life... Sometimes he carries his public persona over into his private life, which gets to be a REAL pain in the ass, because you know he's full of shit... His voice changes, for one thing, and he starts takling with that pseudo-Southern accent. And sometimes in private he starts using a very rough Cockney accent, which also is not his real voice. It's actually more like the way Charlie and I talk, dropping the h's and all that. He never talked like that before, because he came from a middle class family and went to middle class schools. I've got interviews with him on radio and televion from the 60s where he's talking like the Queen does - Oh, well, it's QUITE interesting to... He's getting a bit like Peter Sellers: I don't think he knows which one is the real Mick Jagger. (Laughs) It keeps the mystery going - Bill Wyman, 1981Well, I don't have that many problems, so if others do, then I don't mind dealing with them. Maybe I just ignore my problems... I mean, of course I have problems, but not really day to day ones because I have people to look after me, you know? I'm very lucky, I don't have to pack my bags, I don't have to worry about my airplane, I don't have to worry about my cars. But then you have a lot of people who have emotional problems, and I don't... I'm very happy... (I'm) not lonely at all. Why should I be? I have my dearest friends with me, Keith, Charlie... most of the band are my friends, and a lot of other people who have been my friends for years... It's not like I'm on tour and I'm the Lonely Rock Star. I mean forget it, doesn't apply to me - Mick Jagger, on tour in 1975Mick is a selfish person, but he's not ungenerous. In many ways he's a really nice guy. But he's too unsure of himself to be THAT nice a guy. It's sad I can't talk about engineers or whatever to him 'cause I know whatever I say he's gonna say the opposite... Instead of getting MORE secure over the years, which you'd think Mick would have every right to, he's getting more insecure. Unfortunately he's taking it out on the wrong people - Keith Richards, 1979Mick is... a very nice guy. He's very easy to get on with really, when it comes to it. But as soon as there's other people in the room he'll give you the impression that he's just impossible, hard and ruthless. Some of that IS Mick because he does it often. But then Keith puts up similar fronts - Ron Wood, 1979It's difficult to talk about Mick... because he always changes, so maybe he's always been the same. Mick is always flitting about; never happy or always happy. One minute he'll be knocked out with a track and not like it the next minute - Charlie Watts, 1988Mick has one of those minds and bums. His bum won't sit still and his mind doesn't either. It's always onwards, onwards, onwards - like yesterday is history already. So it's very difficult for him to keep his interest in a band that is so steeped in history - at least, that's my slant on him - Charlie Watts, 1998I mean, I'll be totally honest: I LOVE Mick. Most of my efforts with Mick go to trying to open his eyes... I mean, 99% of the male population of the Western world - and beyond - would give a LIMB to live the life of Riley, to live the life of Jagger. To be MICK JAGGER. And he's not happy being Mick Jagger. He's not living a happy life. To me, that's unacceptable. I've GOT to make him happy (laughs)... The siege mentality kind of worries me about Mick. Nobody can get in there, even me, who's known him longer than anybody. What bothers me sometimes about him is not being able to get through to him. He's got his own version about himself, which is not actually who he is. So he has to play a game; he has to act. He's not about to give you ANYTHING. He's not about to give ANYTHING away. He'll be flip. And I don't mind him reading this shit, because this is part of, as far as I'm concerned, my attempt to help him along... - Keith Richards, 1988